Oxygen uptake and temperature regulation of young harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardi) in water*

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Abstracto

  1. 1.

    Oxygen uptake and body temperatures were measured in two young harbor seals at water temperatures between 5 and 37°C.

  2. 2.

    Basal metabolic rates of both animals were approximately 0·74 u O2g−1hr−1 or about 2·6 times the value expected for an adult terrestrial mammal of the same weight. Lower critical temperature was 12°C in one animal and 19°C in the other.

  3. 3.

    A surprising tolerence to high water temperatures was demonstrated and thermal and metabolic equilibrium could be established with only a 2°C difference between deep body and water temperature.

  4. 4.

    It is concluded that water at temperatures typically encountered by newborn of the northern harbor seal imposes only a modest cold stress requiring, at most, a 2-fold increase in metabolism over the basal rate.

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*

This work was supported by USPHS. NIH Grant GM10402 and Sea Grant 1-36109.

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